DATA CENTERS

Summer Reading: 10 New Tech Books

Looking to learn this summer? Check out these new releases on Docker, network security, and more.

Summer is nearly here, which means the traditional season for vacations is almost upon us. While some may be content to zone out in the sun, IT nerds will be looking to expand their knowledge. After all, an IT career requires constant learning. If you're looking for a book to take to the beach or to pass the time during those long waits at the airport, we've got some ideas.

All of these tech books are new – they were either published this year or are brand-new editions of previously published books. They cover some of the hottest technologies and trends in IT today that were showcased at Interop ITX, including security, containers, DevOps and automation. You'll find books on Python and Docker alongside familiar topics such as packet analysis.

With the rise of cloud, software-defined technologies, and automation, there's a lot to learn. IT roles are rapidly evolving and traditional IT silos are breaking down, so it's important to branch out and learn other technologies. Even if a vacation isn't in your sights this summer, it's always a good time to read and broaden your horizons.

Continue on to check out a selection of new tech books for your reading pleasure.

(Image: Rober Simon Antony/Shutterstock)

Python in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition: A Desktop Quick Reference

By Alex Martelli, Anna Ravenscroft, and Steve Holden

If you're a networking pro, you've probably heard that learning some Python would be a good thing for your career. "Python in a Nutshell" is designed as a practical guide to the language and covers network programming, among other areas. It's geared for those with some Python or programming experience, however, not complete newbies.

Learning Docker

By Jeeva S. Chelladhurai, Vinod Singh, and Pethuru Raj

Organizations are excited about Docker and its flexibility and agility benefits, but how do you get started? "Learning Docker" walks you through the process, showing you the commands for managing Docker images and containers. The book also covers Docker container orchestration, debugging, and security.

Scheduled to be published June 25, "Kubernetes: Up and Running" has an eye-catching subtitle: "Dive into the Future of Infrastructure." Developed by Google, Kubernetes is an open source container orchestration system. This book covers how to make "zero downtime" application deployments with Kubernetes, container metrics and logs, and Kubernetes components such as the scheduler.

Chef: Powerful Infrastructure Automation

By John Ewart, Matthias Marschall, and Earl Waud

In the world of DevOps, Chef plays a key role. In "Chef: Powerful Infrastructure Automation," you'll learn about to install Chef server on your hosts, integrate Chef with cloud services, debugging, and more. The book is designed for anyone who want to learn about applying chef automation to existing or new infrastructure, but some programming or scripting experience is recommended.

IoT Fundamentals: Networking Technologies, Protocols and Use Cases for the Internet of Things

This Cisco Press book, touted as "the first comprehensive, practical reference for making IoT work," starts with a high-level overview of IoT then walks readers through key IoT technologies and protocols. Five Cisco experts collaborated to write "IoT Fundamentals."

Network Security Through Data Analysis, 2nd Edition

By Michael Collins

It's been known for some time that traditional security tools such as intrusion detection systems aren't enough to keep the bad guys at bay. "Network Security Through Data Analysis," provides practical guidance on collecting and analyzing network traffic data so that you can know how to protect it. The second edition is scheduled to be published in August.

CCIE Routing and Switching v5.1 Foundations: Bridging the Gap Between CCNP and CCIE

By Narbik Kocharians

If you have the CCNP Routing and Switching certification and aspire to be a CCIE, this book promises to bridge your knowledge gaps in order to succeed. "CCIE Routing and Switching v5.1 Foundations" includes more than 40 detailed labs, structured illustrations of protocol and feature operation, and a full lab walkthrough.

Mastering Ceph

By Nick Fisk

The open source storage system Ceph is gaining traction with the rise of cloud infrastructure. According to Network Computing Contributor Jim O'Reilly, Ceph is a popular object store for OpenStack. "Mastering Ceph" starts with design and planning steps and guides readers through deployment of a Ceph cluster. Topics include erasure coding, cache tiering, and tuning.

The Illustrated Network, 2nd Edition

By Walter Goralski

At the more basic level, "The Illustrated Network" has more than 330 diagrams and screenshots to show how TCP/IP works based on a working network configuration. The new edition includes updates including optical networking, cloud concepts and VXLAN.